1932 8c Winged Globe, Olive Bister

U.S. #C17
1931-32 8¢ Winged Globe
Issue Date: September 26, 1932
City: Washington, DC
Quantity: 76,648,803
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Rotary press printing
Perforations: 10 ½ x 11
Color: Olive bister

This stamp is part of the Winged Globe series, a design first introduced in 1930 to serve the growing needs of American airmail service. This particular denomination was created to cover a new airmail rate of eight cents per ounce that took effect on July 6, 1932, with the stamp itself issued later that year on September 26. Rather than creating an entirely new design from scratch, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing modified the die used for an earlier five cent airmail stamp, drilling out the old numeral and cutting in the new eight in its place, with the primary changes between issues in this series limited to color and denomination.

This stamp's first day of issue in Washington, D.C. coincided with President Herbert Hoover laying the cornerstone for a new post office building, tying its release to a notable moment in the capital's own postal history. Issued during the depths of the Great Depression, this stamp continued the steady evolution of American airmail service through a period of significant economic hardship, reflecting the growing role air travel was beginning to play in the nation's mail system even as the country faced widespread financial strain.